Home Sweet Home

Approximately 36 hours ago I was in Sydney, and now after over a day of traveling I'm in Norway. Here I am, back in my house in Drammen. It is somewhat surreal that my time abroad is over, and that I'm already back in Norway. I don't think it has fully hit me yet. 

The journey from Sydney to Drammen went surprisingly well. Our route went from Sydney to Singapore to London to Oslo, followed by an hour train ride to Drammen. The total flying time was 23 hours, and the whole journey took about 30 hours. Both of the long flights went very well. I was surprised at how refreshed I felt when we stepped off the 13 hour flight in London. Isabelle and I were both able to sleep quite a bit, so that made a huge difference. Despite not being too exhausted after the long flights, it was a great feeling getting off the last plane in Oslo. Poor Isabelle had another 6 hour layover before getting on the two hour flight to Tromsø. 

Not too excited about the looong journey. 

Isabelle was VERY excited when she found these koalas. 

Synchronized travellers at London Heathrow Airport

I had quite a bit of time to think about the last months while on the long journey home. One thing I kept asking myself was "What will I miss from Australia?" The most important thing I will miss is obviously all the wonderful people that I got to know; that's a given. Besides the people, there are quite a few other random things I will miss, too. I made a quick list while trying to make the time pass on the first flight. I quickly gave up trying to make an exhaustive list; there are far too many things I will miss. Here's the 20 first things I could think of (which is in no particular order, by the way):

1. Screaming/laughing birds (I just love those hilarious ravens and kookaburras)

2. Australian politeness (for example, saying thank you to the bus driver when exiting the bus)

3. Gelato from Messina (suprise, suprise)

4. Seeing the Opera House on a weekly basis 

5. Driving over the Sydney Harbour Bridge by bus/train to get to the city 

6. The Aussie accent

7. Smoothies from Boost (Mango Magic and Passion Mango were the best) 

8. The convertible seats on the train which enables you to always face the right direction (oh so convenient!) 

9. Australian expressions (e.g. "How you goin'?", "Sweet as", "Cheers", and "No worries")

10. The way Rhiannon (Isabelle's roommate) said "That's alright", and how Isabelle and I would imitate her because we thought it was adorable. 

11. Seeing people already swimming laps when going to 6am workout classes at the Macquarie Sports & Aquatic Center. 

12. Randomly seeing people walk around barefoot like it's no big thing (which it really isn't in Australia)

13. Being in the future (because of time difference)

14. My adventurous attitude and willingness to try new things (hopefully this will continue even though I've come back to Norway)

15. Speaking English every day 

16. Being able to go to the beach whenever 

17. Flat whites (though I missed regular filtered coffee, these caffeinated beverages grew on me) 

18. Australian/New Zealand cider 

19. The sound the street crossing sign made ("PEW PEW"... Just like a lazer beam)
20. The security guards at the Macquarie library who took their jobs waaaay too seriously

Though we were greeted by grey, drab weather, it was nice to land in Oslo. Isabelle and I had finally made it to Norway! We quickly went through Immigration, stopped by the Duty Free shop, picked up our bags, and made our way out to the departure hall. Isabelle and I said our goodbyes, and I got on the train to Drammen. I looked like a little packrat with all my luggage. My Papa picked me up at the station in Drammen, and it was good to see his cheerful face. 

I started unpacking as soon as I got home. As much as I dislike packing, I dislike unpacking even more. I feel like you should unpack the same way you pull off a bandaid; doing it very quickly makes it less painful. Yet again I wondered how in the world I managed to accumulate so many things in such a short amount of time. 

I had just put away the last few things, when my friend, Reidun, showed up at my door. After catching up for a while, Pernille also came over. It was great seeing these two after 6 months of being away. I'm really looking forward to seeing the rest of the girls and other friends soon!

Though it feels a little surreal and a tad bit strange, it's good to be home. I think it will feel even better after a good night's sleep in my own bed. Goodnight from Norway! 

Love, 
Suzy